Lindsey Graham says Trump should not be removed but 'if something else happens all options are on table' - and says he doesn't regret their relationship

At a press conference Thursday, Sen. Lindsey Graham said he is against Vice President Mike Pence invoking the 25th Amendment and removing President Donald Trump from power at this time.

Democratic leaders in the House and Senate and a number of lawmakers, even one Republican, have floated Pence pulling the trigger on the 25th after Trump incited Wednesday's riot on Capitol Hill. 

But Graham maintained Trump should be left in place for two weeks, as he also praised the president's record and said he doesn't regret their cozy relationship.  

'I do not believe that's appropriate at this point,' Graham told reporters on Capitol Hill. 'I'm looking for a peaceful transfer of power. If something else happens all options would be on the table.'  

Sen. Lindsey Graham said at a press conference Thursday that he was against Vice President Mike Pence invoking the 25th Amendment to remove President Donald Trump from power unless 'something else happens' 

Graham has become a close ally of Trump , spending Christmas with him at Mar-a-Lago. 'You ask me about my relationship with the President? I regret it not one bit,' Graham told reporters Thursday 

Graham called Trump's presidency 'consequential from a conservative point of view,' but said his record was 'tarnished' after he encouraged supporters to march on Capitol Hill. They ended up breaking into the building in a violent episode that killed four  

The South Carolina senator has been one of the president's most vocal allies on Capitol Hill, which was a complete turnaround from the dire warnings Graham made about Trump when they were competing against one another in the GOP's 2016 presidential primary. 

A May 3, 2016 tweet of Graham's went viral in the aftermath of Republicans losing control of the Senate - thanks to two losses in Georgia after Tuesday's run-off races.

'If we nominate Trump, we will get destroyed.......and we will deserve it,' Graham warned at the time. 

At his Thursday press conference, Graham gave a laundry list of Trump's accomplishments - but then said it was sullied by Wednesday's violent affair that left four dead.

'I think his presidency has been consequential from a conservative point of view and it's been an amazing four years in terms of judges, securing the border, a vaccine in record time, de-regulating the economy, cutting taxes, historic Mideast peace agreement, distruction of the caliphate, on and on and on, was tarnished by yesterday,' Graham said. 

Graham then gave Trump some advice.

'The president needs to understand that his actions were the problem, not the solution,' the South Carolina Republican said. 'The rally yesterday was unseemly, it got out of hand.' 

'A good friend of mine Rudy Giuliani did not help,' Graham added. 

The president's personal lawyer had been one of the speakers at the rally on the ellipse. 

Trump spoke later and whipped up his supporters, encouraging them to march to Capitol Hill.

Both men falsely claimed that widespread voter fraud was why Trump lost the election.  

A reporter asked Graham if Republicans should have spoken up earlier and called out Trump for making these baseless claims.

Graham, himself, did not immediately congratulate President-elect Joe Biden, his former Senate colleague, on winning the election.   

'I think the Trump presidency has been poorly covered by people in your business,' Graham answered. 

He also defended his close friendship with the president.  

'You ask me about my relationship with the President? I regret it not one bit,' Graham said. 

Graham, who is unmarried, was spotted spending the holidays with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.